Farningham, Kent, England

A row of cottages in Farningham with one house almost hidden by flowers.

Kent is known as 'The Garden of England' being full of fruit farms, hop fields and garden centres. I came across this row of cottages today and the sight of it is overwhelming with one of the dwellings almost completely hidden by flowers. Farningham is a picturesque village not far from London and it has an interesting history. It's population was 561 in 1821, 1328 in 1901 and remains about the same as that today. It is on the River Darent and was a neolithic and, later, a Roman settlement. (See my post on St Albans.) Several Roman Villas have been excavated nearby and archeologists have identified a neolithic footpath that passes through the Darent Valley. Charles Dickens used to fish for trout in the Darent.

Farningham Parish Church. 13th Century

Farningham is mentioned in the Domesday Book which was compiled by William the Conqueror and completed in 1086. The church pictured above was started in 1240 with the tower being added in the 15th century. By the 19th century there were six stage-coaches per day stopping in Farningham which had become a thriving community. Many of it's present day structures date from the 18th and 19th centuries.